A Sabbath Table: The Magic of Ordinary Days

Was kind of an intense day today, going around mega insulating against scary little critters (see last post). Ticks, deer flies, fleas, very determined wasps, critters are in abundance and everywhere....seriously i've never seen so many insects before. And that doesnt even count the zillions of spiders i see everywhere, or the skeeters.....or the rattle snakes that are in this area (luckily have not seen one yet, thank you Lord). The locals tell me this is just an especially bad year here for insects, since the winter was so mild that it didnt check their populations like winter is supposed to. Hello global warming. I'm not longing for the city again, not by a longshot. In fact i still long for deeper yet wilderness. But ive had a very hard time with this insect party zone thing.

So today my Prince was outside insulating the place. And i was doing stuff in here, had been going at it since i got up. Early afternnoon he calls in the door..."So what's for lunch?".

Lunch? I hadnt even eaten breakfast, had just been grazing while standing up doing stuff because things felt so pressing. And had given him snacks for out there too, assuming he'd just do the same. I thought...."Lunch? We have so much to do here to get this place more bug proof, needing to have done it like yesterday....who cares about something like lunch?" But that wasnt said out loud, instead to make him happy i just started to make something. And was surprised at how happy it made me too...not sure why i'm always surprised when this happens. But when i am stressed and rushing and its the worst time in the world to stop and make something...somehow doing it anyway is what calms me down so much. The simple act of making a little cassarole, the making of it in itself, the mixing things, even doing the dishes...let alone the having a decent lunch, somehow made a rather stressful day so much calmer. I'm still not sure why i'm always surprised when this happens...my head knows it will. But my body, so caught up in the stress and trying to get something done i'm focused on...my body gets surprised every time.

The phrase "the magic of ordinary days" is what comes to mind. The ordinary mundane stuff...it still keeps amazing me how it's what seems to hold the healing perhaps most of all, for everyone in the house really. Am reminded of a favorite post, The Healing Hand of Home, from Lynn of All Things Bright and Beautiful:

"I got the call we all dread "I've had a bump in the car". I could hear the traffic racing by as my son stood chatting to me on the hard shoulder (emergency lane on the motorway). "No-one's hurt." I sighed a huge sigh of relief...

I made supper as usual, I tidied the kitchen as usual, I put laundry away as usual, I set the fire as usual. Then with my jobs finished I sat before the fire in a dark room & took stock ...I pondered on how, throughout the trials of the day, I had continued to be the keeper of my home & that had got me through. After the bad stuff, my family had come home. And yes, corny/cheesy or not we had all experienced the healing hand of home.

The rhythm of creating order at home had given me peace & calm which could later be enjoyed by the other members of the family. I use the word rhythm in preference to "routine" which for many sums up boredom & chores but to me routine is restorative.

Another of life's lessons learnt?
No matter what is happening outside this house, no matter how crazy the world becomes; what happens within the four walls of my home will set standards, traditions & peace that can be taken forward in our lives....

(Now) today I am home alone in a quiet house. Hopefully the day will be totally uneventful and I will do what I normally do as usual. But in the quiet solitude I am very aware of the healing hand of my home."

The magic of ordinary days. Big time. By the way the movie by that title (such a good movie!) is here. Well worth watching : )

And it's funny... i always think of the Sabbath as such a precious gift we are given...even if i'm still far below the mark in keeping the Sabbath as it should be (slowly working on this). But our "ordinary time", the preciousness of that too, the joy there, the GIFT....well the gift there seems to hit most of all as the Sabbath approaches and we are about to leave ordinary time behind for a bit. Or ideally leave it behind anyway...in my life entering Sabbath fully needs some deepening for sure.

Well, Good Shabbas All,
And a Very Blessed Sabbath...
And Happy 4th of July too : )

Inserted later: So far no wasps inside, happy happy dance : ) The nest building may have been halted by the seal off....but deeper still by His protection. Thank you thank you God for protecting here! : )

(Bottom image from here, top image unknown)